Improviser and composer Craig Taborn, known for creating singular soundscapes through a virtuosic command of piano and expansive knowledge of musical genres, brings his trio to the University of Chicago as the Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence for the 2026-27 academic year, marking the first time a jazz ensemble has held this esteemed residency.
With a precise touch and keen sensitivity to an instrument’s capabilities, Taborn elicits distinct textures from the piano and electronic keyboard. He also exploits the percussive qualities of the instruments themselves, and under his hands the piano can sound paper-thin, digitally distorted, or as sonorous as a double bass. In his compositions for solo piano and ensembles, Taborn leaves space for improvisation within a focused compositional logic. He creates modular structures that players can move between and combine in a variety of ways while maintaining the compositional integrity of the piece. He is the recipient of the 2025 MacArthur Foundation Fellow Improvising Musician and Composer award. Taborn’s Trio will comprise bassist Thomas Morgan and percussionists Kayvon Gordon (November) and Tim Angulo (February and May).
The Craig Taborn Trio succeeds the acclaimed vocal ensemble Trio Mediæval (Ensemble-in-Residence for the 2025-26 year). The Craig Taborn Trio will make three visits to the University for weeklong residencies in each of the Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters of 2026 and 2027 to engage with the Department of Music and a variety of schools and disciplines across the University. The group will present three public performances: November 6, 2026, and February 12, 2027, on the UChicago Presents “Jazz at the Logan” Series, and a performance with the UChicago Jazz Ensemble on May 13, 2027. The group will also visit Music Department classes, lead workshops with the Jazz Ensemble, participate in school and community engagement activities, and more.
The Randel residency was established with a gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to honor its departing president and noted musicologist, Don Michael Randel, who served as the 12th president of the University of Chicago and is an emeritus faculty member in the Department of Music. The funding supports an acclaimed musical ensemble for up to three years, providing a permanent home for world-class musicians to engage with the University and Hyde Park communities. The Pacifica Quartet, resident ensemble in the Department of Music for 17 years, was the first to hold the appointment as Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence beginning in 2013. Subsequent Ensembles in Residence have been Imani Winds (2016-2018), Sweet Honey in the Rock (2018-19), Plena Libre (2019-20), Axiom Brass, ~Nois, Quince Ensemble (2020-21), Quatuor Diotima (2021-22), Amjad Ali Khan (2022-23), Pacifica Quartet (2023-24), inDANCE (2024-25), and Trio Mediæval (2025-26).
Additional residency details will be announced later this summer.